Premier Jason Kenney during the Wednesday morning announcement. (Government of Alberta)

By Justin Goulet

Province announces funding to four vaccine development proposals

Dec 1, 2021 | 11:40 AM

EDMONTON, AB – The province has made a significant announcement on the development of COVID-19 vaccines in Alberta.

The Government of Alberta says it is providing up to $81.2 million to fund four proposals for vaccine development and manufacturing, in an effort to help combat COVID-19 and future infectious disease outbreaks while growing the province’s pharmaceutical and life sciences sector.

Following an independent third-party review, the government selected four proposals:

• University of Alberta
• Entos Pharmaceuticals
• Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation
• Northern RNA

Minister of Health Jason Copping said, “the province continues to work to safeguard the health of Albertans with this new initiative to develop vaccines right here in Alberta.”

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“We have seen first-hand how vaccines can be game-changers when it comes to public health and protection, and I have no doubt this is a valuable area to invest in for the future of Albertans’ health.”

The provincial government has committed up to $55.1 million to the University of Alberta in support of four key projects, which include:

• Vaccine portfolio development
• Alberta Cell Therapy Manufacturing
• Biosafety Level 3 Lab
• Structural Biology Facility with CryoEMs

The U of A’s proposal will address vaccines but also the broader pharmaceutical and life sciences industry. The department of Jobs, Economy and Innovation will work with the post-secondary to secure funding for its proposal from the $2.2 billion committed to support biomanufacturing by the federal government. Total funding from the province will depend on the level of funding received from the Government of Canada.

Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation Doug Schweitzer said, “the COVID-19 pandemic showed us how important it is to have the capacity to develop and manufacture vaccines at home.”

“These investments will help build not just vaccines but also an industry that will protect and benefit Albertans for years to come. This sector provides a significant number of high-quality, high-paying jobs and supports other sectors in Alberta, including agriculture, manufacturing, petrochemicals and research.”

The provincial announcement can be viewed below.

The province is also committing to fund 10 per cent of the following proposals, contingent on companies receiving financial support from the federal government or private funding:

• $15.5 million to Entos Pharmaceuticals to establish a commercial manufacturing facility in Edmonton.
• $5.6 million to Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation to build an integrated research, commercialization and manufacturing cluster to ensure security f supply of critical medicines at commercial volumes.
• $5 million to Northern RNA help build the RNA ecosystem in Alberta.